


Some Scars Run Deep

by WinterAndLittleBrunettes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, Healing, M/M, Much needed conversations, Post S6, and keith responds, klance getting together, kosmo snores, lance has some things to say, sorry thats just facts, the aftermath of the war with lotor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 03:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22009177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterAndLittleBrunettes/pseuds/WinterAndLittleBrunettes
Summary: In the aftermath of the fight with Lotor, Keith tries not to think about his new wound or let the emptiness of space overwhelm him. Lance provides him a remedy to both, and they have a much needed conversation.One that ends in a way both were secretly hoping for.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 158





	Some Scars Run Deep

**Author's Note:**

> A surprise commission I did for [@kass.draws](https://www.instagram.com/kass.draws/) on Instagram! I was messaged out of the blue one day and asked if I did commissions. And with Zelda needing a surprise vet visit with a case of worms, I accepted!
> 
> I had a blast working on this commission! It's something I always wanted to explore in the aftermath of season 6, but never really had the chance to do. I immediately fell in love with Keith's cheek scar [ _shocking, right?_ ]. And having Lance come in to fix it up for him? Even better <3
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this fic!

# Some Scars Run Deep

Despite years of quiet in the Quantum Abyss, Keith still had trouble with silence.

Everybody thought that as the ‘loner’, he preferred the silence. But the truth was, he didn’t. He preferred it when the people he’d come to think of as his family were chattering all around him, not focused on _him_ so much as their own conversations, so his mind didn’t run wild with his own thoughts.

The quiet gave him all the space in the universe to think.

And that scared him.

Sitting alone in the Black Lion’s cockpit made his thoughts run wild. He noticed every painful twinge his new wound gave, every new star that they passed, every not-so-soft snore Kosmo emitted just outside the door… Even each mechanical whir his Lion gave. Thoughts kept spiralling around and around in his head about this, that and everything.

_He was back_. He was finally home with his family after two long years away from them, and he couldn’t be happier, but… Everything swiftly went to shit as soon as possible, like always.

Was it too much to ask for just one minute to let himself revel in the fact that he was _home?_ With the people that he loved? Of course it was. One moment he was back in the Castle of Lions, and the next, they were in the void between realities trying to stop Lotor. Then, he blinked and they were packing up the Castle, the ship they’d called home for… _Who knows how long._ Space-time is weird. But it was home long enough for it to feel like a home, with the people he’d chosen to be his family. And _then,_ they were watching anxiously as Allura mind-melded Shiro’s consciousness with that of the clone that just gave Keith this cut.

...This might be one of the longest days of his life. But then again, there hadn’t been much to do while flying through the Quantum Abyss. So maybe it was just another Tuesday.

His cheek gave a particularly painful twinge, and Keith jerked, breathing harshly through the pain. He bit at the inside of his cheek, trying to focus on something else, but that just made the same spot hurt inside and out.

Great.

With a sigh, he slumped further into his seat, watching aimlessly as the stars flew by. He knew he should probably treat his wound, try to save it from scarring, but… He was afraid to look at it. He had no idea what it looked like, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

So instead, he sat back and watched as the stars flew by, trying his damndest to ignore the incessant throbbing and not think of anything.

It was harder than he thought it would be. For a few minutes he tried to force his mind blank, to not think of anything and just be in the moment. But that quickly didn’t work, so he tried to think about the team’s next course of action. With too many possibilities, he turned away from thinking too much about that. They could decide that as a team. So instead, he tried to count each of Kosmo’s snores and count each tick between his companion’s breaths, just to keep his mind busy.

He made it to three hundred snores with six hundred ticks between before his dashboard lit up with a gentle notification that someone was boarding the lion. He jerked up from his seat, turning towards the door with both his sword and bayard ready only to be met with the sight of Lance crouched down to pet Kosmo through the open doors.

Keith’s heart stumbled when he realized who’d come to visit him. The sight alone made him forget about any pain he was in, even if only temporarily.

Lance tended to have that effect on him.

When Lance finally pulled his helmet off and stood up, he flashed Keith a quick smile. “Sorry for just barging in unannounced,” he said, finally stepping into the cockpit, “but I wanted to check up on you.”

“You could’ve just called to do that,” Keith said, but still gestured him into the space anyways.

Lance shrugged. “True. But,” he pulled a bag off of his back, one Keith hadn’t noticed, and opened it to reveal its contents; healing supplies, “you would have lied and told me that you’re fine.”

“I _am_ fine,” Keith argued. But it sounded weak even to his own ears.

“Mhmm,” Lance agreed dismissively. “Now, be a good boy and go sit so I can clean this up.”

Keith rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to do just as Lance instructed without a fight. “It’s fine, y’know, there’s nothing to look at--”

Lance pointed to the pilot’s seat wordlessly, firmly.

With his hands raised in surrender, Keith made his way over to his chair and plopped down with a dramatic sigh. “It _is_ fine, Lance. You didn’t need to--”   
  


“Yes, I did.” Lance interrupted. He wasn’t unkind about it, but there was a bit of an edge to his voice, one that Keith couldn’t place. “I knew you wouldn’t care for it. And besides, I have all the medical supplies with me in Red. So it makes sense that I’d come here.”

Keith nodded consideringly, not sure what else to say. He still didn’t fully understand why Lance was here, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He loved having Lance here with him.

“Now,” Lance began, and leaned against the dashboard facing Keith, “let me get a look at that. I saw it down on the planet’s surface while Allura was doing her voodoo magic mind-meld thing with Shiro, but I didn’t want to take attention away from the man who just had his soul slapped into a clone of himself.”

“Well, wasn’t that thoughtful of you,” Keith rolled his eyes.

Lance slapped his knee good-naturedly. “Hush you. _Let me see._ ”

Keith grimaced, gathered up his courage, and tilted his chin up so Lance could clearly see him.

He watched avidly while Lance took in every inch of his face, especially how he lingered over the new mark marring his jaw. A flush was steadily making its way up to his cheeks, but he tried his best to ignore it so he wouldn’t embarrass himself. But it was inevitable, with how close Lance was when he leaned in to take a closer look at the injury.

“Jeez, evil clone Shiro did a number on you,” Lance said lowly. His hand came up to gently clutch Keith’s chin, so he could position his head as he wanted. “How did this even happen? It sort of looks like a burn rather than a cut.”

“It was with his bayard,” Keith explained, watching how Lance’s blue, _blue_ eyes flicked and danced around. “Some sort of phantom blade.”

“Like a lightsaber?” Lance’s eyes twinkled when he said this.

Keith rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Yeah, Lance, like a lightsaber.”

“Even though I don’t like the end result, and I don’t,” Lance said, levelling one look directly at him, “that does sound pretty awesome.”

“Guess so,” Keith said with a shrug. Where Lance’s fingertips touched his skin, he could feel tingles, sparking through him like wild electricity. He reacted explosively to Lance, _always,_ but he could never show it. Never knew how to. So, instead he said, “maybe it’ll scar and look cool.”

Lance narrowed his eyes down at him with pursed lips. “You shouldn’t think like that,” he reprimanded lowly, sternly, “cuz if you only think of how cool something will look when it scars, you’ll keep getting hurt.”

Keith’s eyes widened at Lance’s sudden change of tone. Everything he’d said since entering Black’s cockpit had been in the same light and playful tone he normally had, but when he joked about his cut scarring, he was suddenly more firm and serious, like he was when on the battlefield.

He wasn’t used to _that_ being directed at him. Not sure what else to do, he kept his lips shut, not wanting to give Lance any more reason to be mad at him.

Once Lance got a feel for what he was working with, he ruffled around in his bag for a tick before pulling out some disinfectant wipes. As he tore open the package, he gave Keith a sympathetic look. “This will sting,” he warned, “so… Sorry in advance.”

Keith gritted his teeth and nodded, turning his head a bit so Lance had unobscured access to the damaged skin. Steeling his nerves, he waited for the pain to start.

But surprisingly, Lance was gentle, rubbing his thumb along his cheekbone to distract him before dabbing the wipe tenderly down the length of the wound. Keith contained his pain to a soft hiss through his teeth, but Lance still noticed, _because he always did,_ and gave him some reprieve before continuing.

Each and every stroke was careful but precise, tentative but thorough, and Keith could feel the tenderness in every gentle caress. Despite the stinging, it still felt tender, caring, _loving_.

They were so close that he could feel Lance’s breath fan across his face, especially his nose and lips. It helped to distract him from the fact that cleaning his cut hurt. And he was gentle, _so_ gentle when he covered the cut with a bandage. Somehow, after he thoroughly cleaned the cut with disinfectant, it hurt less than it did before, almost like it’d never hurt at all. Probably because Lance was the one who tended to it.

He certainly had that effect on Keith.

When the bandage was in place, Lance didn’t move away, which surprised Keith. He expected Lance to put at least a little bit of distance between them, maybe even leave now that he had done what he’d come over here to do. It was getting a little awkward, tense even, between them the longer Lance sat there not saying anything. But he lingered, stayed leaning against the dashboard and just _looked_ at him.

Keith wasn’t sure how to read that look. He’d come to think of himself as a bit of a Lance expert, but maybe he’d gotten rusty in his last two years away from his team, from Lance. He thought that Lance looked… _Angry?_ But that couldn’t be right. Lance never got angry. Not truly.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked cautiously.

Lance’s expression hardened, and Keith jerked back minutely at the sudden change. “Why do you always have to be so reckless?” Lance snapped.

“‘Reckless’?” Keith recoiled sharply. “What--?”

“ _Yes_ , reckless!”

Keith was so stunned that he didn’t know how to react. But once Lance raised his brows expectantly, his brain came back online. “I had to get to Shiro.” He blurted out.

Lance’s eyes flashed dangerously, and Keith’s stomach dropped at the sight. He braced himself for whatever was about to come at him. “You didn’t have to go alone!” Lance said loudly. Louder than he’d spoken to him in a long time. “We could have helped!”

“Woah, Lance…” Keith said soothingly, trying to calm his teammate down, “There was no time--”

“But we still could have helped!” Lance nearly shouted that time. Keith couldn’t help but be shocked that he was so adamant about this. “Shiro’s important to _all_ of us, y’know,” Lance continued, “and so are you! I would have said something, but you were already blasting off through creepy wormholes before any of us could even _think_!”

“Look, I’m sorry--”

“We had no idea where you went, couldn’t see you, couldn’t contact you…” Lance’s voice softened as he went on, like he was losing steam. It seemed that he’d said what he had kept bottled up, and all of his anger seeped out of him to be replaced with… _Something_ else. “We had no idea what was happening, no idea if-- if you got hurt…” His eyes cut over to the freshly bandaged spot on his cheek. “And you did.”

Keith’s shoulders slumped under the weight of Lance’s words. _He was worried about me,_ Keith realized distantly. How he didn’t see this sooner, he wasn’t sure. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again, more sincerely this time. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Lance grouched without any real heat. If anything, he looked tired, more tired than he had been letting on. There was a line between his pinched brows, and Keith wanted nothing more in that moment than to lean up and press his lips to the crease until it disappeared beneath his touch. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know where they stood. Truth be told, he never did, and now more than ever.

Part of him longed to throw caution to the wind and do as his gut said. He’d always had pretty good instincts, and he was still alive, wasn’t he? But the rational part of his brain, something he had a much smaller track record of actually listening to was screaming at him to be cautious, to take his time and see where things went on their own.

In the end, his head won. As much as it was the more cowardly route, it was _safe._ He didn’t want to lose him. His fear of losing his best friend, the man he was pretty sure he’d fallen in love with was larger than the urge to kiss him.

_Barely._

Instead, he laid his hand overtop of Lance’s, the one that had fallen to his thigh after finishing up cleaning the slice on his cheek. It was meant to be soothing, but the soft gasp that escaped Lance’s lips at the contact rattled Keith to his core. Then, he did the unexpected and adjusted his hand so their fingers were tangled together.

He was just trying to muster up the brainpower to connect the dots about what _that_ meant when Lance spoke up again: “My heart can’t keep up with you, Keith.” He said it so softly, so sincerely, that Keith didn’t doubt for a moment that he meant it. His tender grip shifted from his chin over to his cheek, cupping lightly over the bandage. But Keith could still feel the warmth of his hand against his skin, sinking deep into his bones and into his soul. 

“Your recklessness scares the hell out of me.” Lance continued, his voice wavering a bit at the edges. “If you keep being reckless, one of these days you’re gonna make my heart stop. And that’s some feat, considering it beats just for you.”

Keith froze as soon as the words left Lance’s mouth. _That_ sounded like… A confession? At the mere idea of Lance confessing ( _confessing!!!_ ) to him, his heart started beating rapidly in his chest. Here Lance was, basically saying that he loved him, but he still had to be sure. “What?”

Lance sighed exasperatedly. “You _can’t_ be that dense, man.” Nonetheless, he rubbed his thumb soothingly along the edge of the bandage, sending tingles down Keith’s spine. It tortured Keith to no end, to be _this_ close and not be able to do anything about it like he desperately wanted to, but… It seemed to soothe Lance enough to say what was on his mind. “I’m in love with you, Keith.” He said slowly, deliberately. “It took me a long, long, _long_ time to figure it out, but once I did, everything made sense. _You_ make sense for me.”

Keith breathed out a shaky breath, and clutched tighter at Lance’s hand in an attempt to ground himself. He seemed to be flying and falling at the same time, somehow, and that was nauseating in the best way possible. _Lance loves me???_ “Do you mean that?” He whispered softly.

Despite the low volume, Lance seemed to hear him perfectly fine. “Do I mean--?! _Yes!_ ” Lance exclaimed. “Of course I mean it!” I wouldn’t bear my heart to you just for shits and giggles--”

Keith couldn’t take it anymore. He surged forward to stop Lance’s rambling before he could spiral out of love with him the only way he could; by kissing him.

Their first kiss was harsh, lips pressed together awkwardly as Keith tried to adjust so their noses weren’t smushed together. It wasn’t exactly a perfect first kiss, but it was _their_ first kiss. That in and of itself was miraculous to Keith, and his entire body felt like it could float away at any moment.

Then Lance’s hand slipped back into Keith’s hair, and his fingers threaded pleasantly through the long strands. Then he carefully adjusted his head to kiss him with a gentleness Keith didn’t know he deserved. Keith melted into the kiss, followed the gentle push and pull of Lance’s lips with his own without question or complaint, like ocean waves following the moon’s pull. He’d always known he’d follow Lance anywhere, so why would this be any different?

His heart beat a mile a minute when they parted, and when he sucked in a breath of fresh air, Lance’s taste still lingered on his lips. He licked at his lips to capture every last bit of it, and watched as Lance’s eyes dipped down to track the path of his tongue.

“Woah,” Lance whispered incredulously, eyes still glued to Keith’s lips. “That just happened.”

“Yeah,” Keith answered breathlessly, and watched as Lance watched him. He would be content to be here in this moment for the rest of his life. “It did.”

Something in Lance’s expression seemed to change, and he pulled back a bit, his hand untangling from Keith’s hair. Keith quickly decided he didn’t like that. “You…” Lance looked more somber all of a sudden, “You didn’t just kiss me because I was confession to you, right?” He asked cautiously. “You… You like me too, right?”

“‘Like’?” Keith questioned with a raised brow. “I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I just never thought that you’d feel the same way.”

Lance’s eyes went bluer as they filled with tears. Happy tears, but still, Keith never, _ever_ wanted to make him cry. “Oh, loverboy, I’m sorry,” Keith whispered his apologies carefully, gently wiping the tears gathering beneath Lance’s eyelids, “I didn’t mean to--”

“No no, it’s fine,” Lance assured, a wet chuckle leaving his chest. “I just, I had no idea. How did I not know that you’ve loved me for so long?”

All Keith could do was shrug. Maybe he was so good at hiding it that Lance never had the chance to see? Or maybe Lance himself didn’t want to see it at first, then didn’t dare to hope as he realized his own feelings? They’d never know.

But they were here now. _Together._

“Dunno,” Keith said lightly, thumbs rubbing soothingly along his high cheekbones. “But I do know that I won’t stop loving you. Not now, not ever.”

A happy smile broke out on Lance’s face, and more tears slipped down his cheeks. Keith caught them all, wiping away the dampness before it could drip down his chin. And, just because he could, he leaned forwards to kiss him again.

This next kiss was soft, pleasant, and made everything inside Keith melt, soar and pop all at the same time. How he didn’t combust, he’d never know. 

It was a little hard to kiss properly when Lance was smiling so hard. But Keith couldn’t be mad, especially not with how infectious Lance’s smile was. Soon enough they were both smiling so hard that they weren’t kissing so much as pressing their lips together. And that was amazing too. It made Keith feel so warm and fuzzy inside, like anything was possible.

With Lance by his side, anything _was_ possible.

“I had no idea someone could love as deeply as this,” Keith admitted. “There are so many epic love stories all throughout the galaxy, but I didn’t understand the sheer depths of their love until I fell in love with you. Waiting for you was hell, but I’d do it a thousand times over if this is where we end up every single time.”

“Wow, samurai,” Lance whispered, “that was… Beautiful.”

Keith let his head fall forwards until their foreheads were touching.

“But also seriously unexpected,” Lance continued in a more characteristic tone. “Did that use up all your words for the day?”

Keith groaned and shoved Lance away from him while his partner just cackled.

The space between them fell into silence, or close enough to it. Kosmo’s snores could still be heard, as could the soft purring from the Black Lion throughout the cockpit, but both boys were quiet. But it was peaceful now, comfortable.

“So,” Lance said softly, breaking the silence, “what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I mean, we’ll want to have a conversation about _us_ in the future, but what about the team? What’s our next move?”

Keith chewed at his lip. “I guess… We go home?”

Lance shrugged slightly. “I guess so. Since we lost the Castle of Lions, which _was_ our home here in space.”

“Exactly.”

“I still can’t believe it’s gone,” Lance said sadly.

“Me neither,” Keith agreed. “Doesn’t seem real yet.”

“Well,” Lance said, and patted Keith’s knee, “at least we’re alive.”

“True,” Keith relented. “I just wish I had my jacket. I tried looking for it back in my room on the Castle, but I couldn’t find it anywhere… Guess I must’ve left it somewhere else.”

Lance was fidgeting slightly in his seat, but Keith didn’t think much of it. Lance was a fidgety person most of the time. “Not sure where I could’ve left it, though,” Keith lamented. “I don’t think I took it with me to the Blade of Marmora, and I definitely didn’t have it when I was stuck in the Quantum Abyss, so--”

“I took it.” Lance blurted out.

Keith blinked, looking at Lance with a surely dumbfounded expression. “What?”

“I took it!” Lance repeated a little louder, sounding embarrassed by the confession. “I missed you, okay? I saw your jacket in your room when I was cleaning in there--”

“Wait, when did you clean my room?”

“--and, I dunno, I thought that maybe I’d feel closer to you if I held it, or something, but then the next thing I knew I took it back to my room, and then I never had the guts to take it back--”

“Lance--”

“--so I just kept it! Might’ve used it as a pillow some nights, but there were no witnesses so who’s to say--”

“ _Lance!_ ”

“ _What?!_ ”

Keith smiled and reached out to cup the sides of Lance’s face. “I’m really glad you took it. I would’ve wanted you to have it anyways.”

Lance looked surprised to hear this. “Really?”

“Really.”

“So, you’re not mad that I have it with me on Red?”

Now it was Keith’s turn to look surprised. “You saved it?”

“Of course I did!” Lance exclaimed. “I couldn’t imagine leaving it behind! It would be like leaving a part of you--”

Keith surged forwards and kissed Lance before he could say anything else that tugged on his heartstrings. Seemingly stunned at Keith’s actions, it took Lance a long moment to remember to kiss back, but once he did, it sent Keith’s heart racing anew.

Though it pained him a bit, Keith was the first to pull back after a few smooches so he could take in Lance’s face. To see how he’d made Lance’s cheeks flush such a cute pink, how his lips looked well-kissed and how his eyes seemed to sparkle. There was just so much of Lance to look at that he didn’t think he’d ever tire of it. He’d stare at him forever, should he be allowed.

“What was that for?” Lance whispered.

“You’re too cute,” Keith answered honestly.

Lance squawked. “What? I am _not_ \--”

“Are too.”

“--as a matter of fact, I am hot, sexy, athletic, --”

“These are all true--”

“--sharpshooting ninja paladin!” Lance finished. Then his eyes widened when he realized Keith had been agreeing with him. “Wait, what?”

Keith broke out laughing at Lance’s incredulous face. Even as Lance’s face morphed from shocked to fond, Keith couldn’t contain his laughter, until Lance was laughing along with him.

Keith didn’t think he could feel any lighter or more in love until Lance reached out and cupped his cheek, still trying to contain his laughter by biting at his lip. Keith was rendered breathless at the sight.

It was official. He was in so deep he’d never be able to see anything other than Lance’s light ever again. Not that he was complaining. He’d happily spend the rest of his life basking in the sun that was Lance.

“I love you,” he said again, just because now he could.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you guys liked this fic! And if you did, consider leaving kudos and/or a comment!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on other social media platforms! You can find me on [tumblr](http://winter-and-little-brunettes.tumblr.com/), [twitter](https://twitter.com/winternbrunett5), and [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/winterandlittlebrunettes/)! I usually post updates about my fics, so follow me to keep up to date with my writing!


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